To Seek the Truth
by Mooney93
Summary: Remus Lupin finds himself back at Hogwarts during Harry's third year. He meets up once again with former classmate, Severus Snape. What could possibly happen between these two? Is it too late to fix what has been once broken?
1. The Return to Hogwarts

**_I'm trying out something different with this story, I hope you like it! All rights go to JK Rowling._**

Remus Lupin arrived at Hogwarts and was met at the entrance by none other than Albus Dumbledore. He proved to look no older than the time Remus had seen him last or from the time he was once a student himself. His white beard was as long as his hair, they were carefully billowing against his robes as he walked towards him with opens arms.

"Remus, you look like the moon has gotten the best of you." Albus' eyes analyzed him from head to toe. He could see the lined scars upon his face, aging him beyond his years. His shabby clothing patched up and wrinkled.

"The moon always gets the best of me Headmaster," he lowered his head in embarrassment, staring at his worn shoes, "You wished to see me before the feast, sir?" Dumbledore grasped him by the shoulder and led him to the stone gargoyle.

"Lemon Drops." Dumbledore murmured. It opened a passageway which had a narrow spiral staircase leading up to the top floor. Dumbledore silently walked up grasping hold of the railing as Lupin trailed behind him. "I do care for my Lemon Drops, I'd offer you some but I'm afraid I ate the last of them." Dumbledore added, finally making it up the steps.

"That's quite alright Headmaster, no need to worry." Lupin looked up at the room that he had seen only once before. Professor Dumbledore had spoken to him in here once as a child, to explain to him about the process of getting by as a werewolf in Hogwarts. He, being the one who stood up for him, when nobody else had bothered to care, he owed Dumbledore his life.

"Sit, sit, my son." Dumbledore ushered him to the seat opposite his.

Lupin obeyed and scanned the room; it looked very much the same as it did, those many years ago. It was a large circular room with many windows and portraits of old Headmaster and Headmistresses. He had an immense collection of books which stacked its way up to the ceiling. He noticed in the corner of his eye, his phoenix was perched up and stared at him intently.

"Remus, we don't have much time before the first-years arrive but I wanted to make a few things clear." Dumbledore's light blue eyes bore into his amber ones.

"Of course." Remus replied softly.

"Since you will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year, I trust you to actually teach them to your full capacity, unlike our teacher of the previous year." Remus sat in silence and waited for him to continue. "Also, on another note, one of your students will be quite familiar. His name is Harry Potter and I'm sure you have already been acquainted." Dumbledore smiled serenely with a slight twinkle in his eye. "He, however, is no James Potter. His actions might get him in trouble but he is usually not the cause of it. I am therefore obliging you to keep a good eye on him. His safety is necessary along with every student in the school and I trust you that you will do your best."

Remus slightly smiled and his eyebrows raised. "I can promise that I will do my best to ensure the students' safety. I will also treat Harry as a regular student in my classroom and will show no favouritism." He slightly leaned forward in his seat.

"You have already shown tonight that you seek nothing but the care of your students. Your presence in the Hogwarts Express was instrumental and I'm very glad you were on board at the time. The students have obviously no experience in dealing with Dementors." A small smile appeared from the corner of Dumbledore's mouth. "Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban as you may have found out. I believe that extra precautions are necessary, especially since the both of you are here at Hogwarts. However the Dementors going into the train was a whole-hearted mistake by the Ministry." Dumbledore stared into Remus' eyes as if he were peering into his soul from his half-moon spectacles.

"Undoubtedly we must be vigilant of Sirius' presence as I believe he may try and reach out to Harry." Remus put his hands on the Headmaster's desk and began to twiddle his thumbs.

"I agree very much with you, Remus. Regarding your transformations every month, I believe you are well acquainted with the Shrieking Shack, you may transform there once again for the full moon. This time however, Professor Snape will be brewing you the Wolfsbane potion every month. You will retain your control over your actions but will still transform into your werewolf form. It is necessary to start drinking the potion seven days before the full moon."

"Thank you very much Headmaster, it means a lot to me." Remus smiled widely, accentuating his scars.

"Oh no, no, no, my dear man, you must thank Severus, I am just relaying the message onto you. I am also hoping your high-school grudge will come to an end because of these events." Dumbledore looked quite sombre.

"I have never had a grudge against Severus, Headmaster. I was just merely on the sidelines; I would never humiliate someone especially when I could easily be humiliated myself." Remus looked out the window, wishing some things in his past were different.

"Nevertheless, Severus may hold a grudge against you. Do your best in being amicable towards one another," Dumbledore stood up from his seat and Lupin instinctively reacted and stood up instantly, "I believe that we must head back to the feast." Dumbledore smiled and hummed his way down the steps and into the Great Hall.

Once there, Remus realized that there was one seat available left on the teacher's table, apart from the Headmaster's. He quickly made his way and sat down on the empty seat. To his right was a man clad in black, he had a hooked nose and a pale, sullen face.

The man dressed in black never moved his head and stared straight ahead, "Well, well, Lupin, fancy seeing you here. Are you here for another round?"

"How have you been Severus?" Remus inched closer to him, trying to look at his face.

"I've been...wonderful." Severus said sarcastically. "My life has never been better Lupin, not only do I have to deal with another year of intellectually incapable students, I must also deal with you getting the position I've wanted for years. Fantastic."

Remus ignored his comment and watched the Sorting Ceremony finish. Dumbledore stood up from his seat, for his usual beginning of term announcements.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast..." He stared at the groans of the house tables.  
"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business.  
They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises - or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors." His face went from serious, to being jovial. "On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Lupin stood up and bowed politely to the claps. Severus beside him gave a small, ostensive clap which Lupin thought was better than nothing.

"As to our second new appointment, well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties." Some students from the Gryffindor table erupted in jeers. Remus noticed that Harry and his two friends were among them.

"Well, I think that is everything of importance. Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore swiftly sat down, his cloak tucked neatly into his chair.

Dozens of plates appeared in front of the teachers filled with delicious food and which Remus could remember of as a child. He hadn't had a good meal in a while and was stuffing his plate with anything that was in reach.

"Big appetite, Lupin?" Snape sneered from the corner of his mouth. His plate was empty and was staring at Lupin disgustingly.

"Why yes, I do have a pretty big appetite, especially in the presence of this wonderful food. Here, take some steak, you need a bit of colour, you look a bit pale Severus." He grabbed a piece of steak from the plate in front of him and dropped it onto Severus'.

"Just watching you eat like a vicious animal, puts me in no mood to put a fork in my mouth." He pushed his plate away, with a sour look.

"Would you like me to feed you then Severus?" Lupin had stuffed a piece of chicken in his mouth and turned his head to Snape.

Severus arched an eyebrow and pulled his food back in silence, cutting the steak into pieces and shoving it slowly into his mouth.

"I want to thank you, by the way." Lupin silently said, inaudible to the other teachers.

Severus now chewing, turned his head and looked into Remus' eyes. It was an expression in which Remus couldn't read.

"To what do I owe the complete pleasure of being thanked?" He snarled.

Remus inched closer and whispered into Severus' ear, his black shoulder-length hair parting slightly. Remus didn't even think his hair was even greasy; it probably just appeared that way to others. It smelled of earth and fumes, no doubt from the potions he brewed, yet it was quite pleasant. "For the Wolfsbane potion. I am forever indebted to you."

Snape fidgeted in his seat and pulled away from Remus. He was now focusing intently on his plate which had nothing on it. Remus, took some potatoes and poured some into his plate, along with a piece of chicken.

"Lupin! I do not need someone to constantly watch over me while I am eating!" Snape yelled under his breath, trying to not cause a scene.

"My apologies," Lupin murmured "you can take care of yourself, I know."

"Now, now, Severus," Dumbledore's head appeared next to Snape's and peered at the both of them. "He is trying to be civil."

Lupin bowed his head apologetically to the Headmaster and Snape forked a potato into his mouth. "What do you want from me Lupin?" His eyes never wandered from his plate.

Lupin ignored his question and continued onto desserts hoping that the feast would finally end so he could lock himself in his office. When Dumbledore gave his final words of the night, the students scurried off into their dorms and Severus was the first at the teacher's table to get up and leave, bidding a good night to them. He stopped at Lupin's chair and put his hands at the ends and stooped low.

"You've always ignored me Lupin, let them take advantage of me and humiliate me. Why should now be any different?" He spat. "Is it because your friends are now gone? When you have your answer, it is then you may talk to me. Goodnight." Severus quickly paced out of the Great Hall, his black cloak following perfectly behind him, riding the wind.

Lupin stared off into the nothingness of his thoughts. _Severus had been right,_ he thought, _of course he would still hold a grudge_. Lupin stood up and wished the other teachers and the headmaster a pleasant night. He went to his new office to unpack and plan for his classes the next day, Severus never leaving his mind.

**_Snape being a complex character and Lupin being particularly good at hiding his feelings most of the time make this an interesting pairing. I hope you guys enjoy it._**


	2. Patrolling the Corridors

**_Severus and Remus do a lot of talking in this one. I hope you enjoy._**

A couple of weeks had passed from the beginning of term feast and Severus had ignored Remus at any chance possible. With the full moon approaching a bit more than a week away, Remus had found that it was necessary for him and Snape to be on talking terms. They were both scheduled to patrol the hallways of Hogwarts at night, for the security of the students and to make sure there were no troublemakers tip-toeing through the hallways. They walked alongside each other in silence, their wands illuminated in the air.

"Severus, I-I..." Remus tried to ease the tension by speaking, yet was unable to form a complete sentence.

"Save your breath Lupin. I know the full moon is approaching, I will have your potion ready on your desk tomorrow." Snape walked slightly ahead, unable to meet Lupin's eyes.

"That was only one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. Also, I want to thank you for remembering." Lupin halted at his own steps and stared at Severus' back. Snape could no longer hear Lupin's footsteps and stopped in his tracks as well.

"I told you to speak to me when you have your answer. Well, I believe since you can't even formulate a sentence properly that you do not have one yet." He spun around and snarled, inching closer to him.

"Actually, I do." Remus lowered his wand and stared at the floor.

"Does your answer lie in the carpet Lupin?" He arched an eyebrow and his face came close to his as if analyzing every scar on his face.

"I actually quite admired you as a student in this very school Severus. You always stood up for yourself, not always in the best ways, yet the necessary ones. Just because I was James' and Sirius' friend does not mean I always had the same intentions of embarrassing you." He finally looked up into his black cold eyes, which slightly flickered in the light of his wand.

"You did just as bad as them, sticking your nose into your books, pretending nothing was happening. I had one person other than myself who stood up for me and then she decided to run off into the deadly sunset with that cocky and arrogant, good for only breathing man." Snape's lip started to tremble, Remus could not detect if it was from fear or sadness.

"Lily was always a good person and saw the best in people, even at someone like me." Remus sighed and looked at a portrait that hung on the wall. "She spoke kindly of you when I was not with James and Sirius, she trusted me with her words. There was nobody quite like her."

"Would you like a tissue Lupin? Such sentimental things belong in the past. She chose the hero, the quidditch star and courageous Gryffindor who did nothing but hex me during my time in Hogwarts. What for? He didn't even live long – "

"Enough!" Lupin shouted, his voice vibrating from the walls.

Severus arched an eyebrow in curiosity, "Enough?"

"There are many things in my life I regret Severus, things that are a part of me that I cannot change. I believe it's time to put an end to the grudge that you hold against my friends and I. People change Severus; you should know that first-hand." Lupin walked up ahead while Severus quickly paced up and grasped him by his tattered clothing and shoved him against the wall holding his collar.

"You do not know the meaning of regret." Severus spat. "You base your regret on stuffing your nose into some books while your friends made a fool of me?" Anger etched upon his face, a crease appearing between his brows.

"Severus –"

"Listen Lupin, do not think you know me or understand me in any way possible. You will never understand and you should not make any intention to." Snape let go of his collar, his eyes burning with hatred.

Lupin fixed his collar and stared into the black eyes, which seemed shiny. He lowered his head and mumbled under his breath. "I loved Lily too."

Snape's eyes widened in blatant shock. He was unable to comprehend the words that were coming out of this man's mouth. "What did you say Lupin?"

"You heard me clearly Severus, I will not repeat. She's dead Severus, there's nothing we can do about it now." Remus was holding back tears; he did not want to seem vulnerable to Snape.

"I believe it's time that we continue to patrol the corridors, get a hold of yourself Lupin." Snape spun around and continued to walk ahead, hearing Lupin's faint footsteps behind him.

"I could tell..." Lupin mumbled from behind him.

"Now what is it Lupin? I told you to get a hold of yourself. Why do you choose to make yourself look weak in front of me? Not only does your gangly appearance look like it'll crumble with a twitch of a wrist, but you decide to look as if you would burst into tears looking for comfort. You're weak Lupin. Did you come to Hogwarts to teach or did you come here to extort your sorrows to me at any sole encounter we have together?" Snape walked around the corner, walking by the sleeping portraits.

"My body may look frail Severus. However, I have never had the inclination to show many emotions when it comes to my feelings, I am rather ignorant of them." Lupin said matter-of-factly.

"Then why do you choose to show them now? My patience is running thin Lupin." Snape snarled under his breath turning his head slightly.

"I believe it to be necessary Severus. Knowing that you feel the exact same about – "

"What – did – I – say to you?" Snape interjected. "Would you like me to push you up against a wall again, to refresh your memory?" Severus stopped once again mid-track.

Lupin's cheeks tinged a faint pink which could not be seen by Snape in the darkness of the hallways. "Dumbledore offered me a job here because he knew it was hard of me to get by as a Werewolf. I am also here for the safety of Harry Potter, a student you may know very well." Lupin decided to change the subject as he knew it was not going anywhere.

"Potter is as arrogant as his father and is always up to no good. Seems to find his self in trouble every chance he gets. He is a mediocre student with an extraordinary title, one that his skill does not live up to. He always has someone to save his life for him." He was now leaning against the wall, his arms folded, and eyes still vigilant of his surroundings.

"I beg to differ Severus, I've seen Harry in my class and he's done exceptionally well. I believe he has a great skill that could lead him into the career of a future Auror. Even in my first class, his boggart had shown me that he is wise beyond his years. And yes he may look like James in appearance, but those eyes show the pureness that Lily has, he is more like his mother than you think. You are just blinded by hatred for his father." He was slowly walking up towards Lupin, lowering his wand with each shuffling step.

"I have taught him longer Lupin, do not educate me on things that you do not know about. I have heard about Harry's boggart, a Dementor? I'm sure that those hooded figures left a good impact on him on the Hogwarts Express before you came to save the day, like a hero." Snape stared at him straight into his amber eyes which flickered with the flames of the torches perched onto the walls.

"I was doing what was necessary. It is wise to fear, fear itself. What would your boggart turn into Severus?" Lupin's eyebrow arched.

Snape's face remained emotionless and hard to read. "It is none of your concern, Lupin. And that Longbottom boy, I am sure you were entertained with that scenario?"

Lupin chuckled slightly and looked away for a mere moment. "Maybe you should start being a little less threatening in your classes, that way students won't fear you as you flock through the corridors."

Snape's lip slightly curled up and inched towards Lupin's face even closer. "My methods of teaching should not be judged by anyone especially you. On the other hand, do I scare you Lupin? Do I make you want to shudder just at my mere presence?"

"Yes however, for different reasons. I think it is time for us to head back now. Goodnight Severus, I will be awaiting you tomorrow in my office." And without another word Lupin shoved his hands in his pockets and headed towards his office, whilst whistling. Severus had watched him walk away until he turned the corner. He mumbled under his breath and glided through the corridors, his cloak trailing seamlessly behind him.

**_Next chapter...Snape visits Remus in his office._**


End file.
